St Jean Pied de Port - we have arrived!

We have finished our camino! We arrived here at about 2.30 having walked about 19 kms. Hard to believe it’s over, and we’ve done it…Amr has added up the kms and gets a total of 963 kms, but that is including our non camino walking as well…I am going to work out our actual camino distance, and it will be well over 800 kms, despite the boost we got in taxis!

It was another beautiful day, and thankfully we didn’t have to climb up as many mountains…we mostly followed the valley from Larceveau to St Jean, sometimes at road level, and sometimes elevated along the shoulder of,the valley…and always the most perfect scenery. Basque countryside is totally picturesque - all the houses look freshly painted, and all are decorated in the traditional red-brown, or dark green, and in the basque style. Even the industrial buildings look attractive - the cheese or milk processing plants - not the usual eyesores! And of course the Basque names and totally incomprehensible signs make you realise you are in a different place.

We were in step with quite a few pèlerins now who had arrived from Le Puy (nothing like the numbers in Spain though) and chatted to a German girl who had walked from Geneva, and a man from Haut Savoie (who obviously feels that is a separate special area of France like the Basques do). So it was not strenuous but gorgeous, and we arrived at the St Jacques gate, and found our hotel. Our room is perfect - on a corner, so views 2 ways on to the river and the mountains. And we are here for 2 nights. Hotel Central, and it is central. We know the town quite well now - so attractive and busy…here things do not seem flattened by covid…though there may be fewer pilgrims. But bars and restaurants are busy, and the shops are open and many people. Also it is Friday, and this is a good place for a weekend visit I suppose.

First we (Amr actually) did a huge wash of all the dirty clothes that we had let accumulate over the last few days. Then we had a walk around, lit a candle for Ira in the basilica, and had a Basque wine and a tapa in a bar. Had dinner in the same restaurant that we went to after arriving in 2015, and looking at the photo of then, we were having the same wine! We both had a beautiful fresh trout, with salad and potatoes. Amr had a vegetable soup first which was delicious, but I knew if I had it I wouldn’t face the trout (but I did manage a dessert!). Now I’ll try and select the photos - all day was a photo opportunity it was so gorgeous, so it will be a hard choice.Read more